FF- Love You Eternally - chapter 25 & 26 the final chapter - Page 80

Chapter 22

The men slowly made their way to the east wing, Parag and Daksh had found some rope that they thought could be useful to tie up Shayam. They cautiously made their way to the east wing. Rohit entered first and spotted Shayam at the far end of the quadrangle. He looked inebriated as he clumsily kept crashing into the open doorway, only to fall back and then try again.

"What is he trying to do, and why can't he get into the room." Daksh inquired puzzled. He was walking with Rohit. Being of bigger built then the others, Rohit and Daksh decided to take point on this task to subdue Shayam.

"His barred from entering." Arnav spoke quietly, he could see part of the rooms interior, and he recognised it from his dream this morning. It was his room, the room in which Arnavya had made love to Khushali, the room where the souls had joined in pure love. "That was Arnavya room, Arnavya shared his love with Khushali in that room." He said a little embarrassed.

"Are you saying the Arnavya and Khushali did it in that room?" Asked Rohit, "but they weren't married, were they allowed to? you know before marriage. What with the day and age they lived in."

Vishal huffed "Rohit sex was not a 21^nd century invention you know, sex was quite an active part of life them. What with women not working and men working too hard. No television and ESPN and star plus to keep everybody entertained. So they had sex, that is why some couples would have like a dozen kids."

Rohit glanced at Arnav, "you sure you didn't have a kid then. He could still be alive now."

Arnav gave him a reproachful look, thinking how on earth did Rohit pass Engineering. "No Dude, no kids, because a week later I and the love of my life, no scratch that, the love of my existence were killed by my crazy obsessed brother." He looked at Parag and Akaash making their way towards Shayam from another angle. "Now cut the conversation and concentrate on the task at hand."

"Right, Hay Shayam. Listen buddy." Rohit called. Shayam stopped for a moment looked this way and then that way all the time making low animal growls and grunts. Rohit walked towards Shayam slowly softly calling his name, he gently placed his hand on Shayam's shoulder. In a move to quick to defend Shayam swung his hand and shoulder into Rohit with such force that it send him flying into the banister 10 feet away. Arnav who was closest to Rohit knelt beside him "are you ok?"

Groaning in pain Rohit said, "Yeah I'm fine, never saw that coming." He got up gingerly with Arnav's help. "We have to subdue him before he does any more damage."

Shayam was getting agitated, taking a swing at anybody to got too close. "We have to rush him in one go. He won't be able to fight all at one time." Vishal said,

Akaash asked passing one end of the rope he was carrying to Parag, "ok on the count of three." The men got ready and braced themselves on the count of three from Vishal all of them rushed Shayam at once. Amid grunts of pain and thwacks of punches, and cuss words, flying fists and trashing bodies, it took 6 men 15 minutes to subdue Shayam, and though they had finely got him bound, they didn't come up any good themselves, Akaash was spotting a bruised cheek which was already turning blue, Daksh had a bleeding nose, while Parag had a lump the size of a lemon on his forehead, Vishal's shirt was torn, Rohit eyebrow was bleeding where he received a cut from someone's stray elbow, and Arnav was spotting a cut on his forehead from the head butt he received for Shayam's skull.

Breathing heavily and exerted from this tussle, they collapsed on the ground trying to catch their breaths. While Shayam screamed profanities at them his body contorting as he struggled with his bounds.

Arnav wiped his bleeding forehead with his sleeve and walked to the room the Shayam had been trying to enter but could not. Shayam screamed as he saw Arnav at the door, Arnav took a step forward and stepped into the room without any effort. The old dark green canopy on the bedposts that hung over the king size oak wood bed was dusty and moth eaten, the covers still remained on the bed wrinkled and faded and soiled by dust and bird droppings. Every surface of furniture in the room was covered in dust. Old perfumes bottles and ornamental combs adorned the dressing table. The walls were fades and almost brown with age. The ornamental windows of coloured glass were missing in some places. It was like the room had not been touched ever since the owner had stepped out of it 85 years ago.

An antic writing desk was set by the wall, its push up shutter down. The ink well now dried up and pens sat lonely on the empty desk. Besides the desk was a small shelf of hardbound books, some in English, some in Hindi and some written in the local language of that time. Arnav traced a finger over the spines of the books, knowing that they were old classics, by English and Hindi authors, some books held poetry that Arnavya loved to read in his spare time. He opened the shutter on the writing desk, it was stewed with papers, wrapped neatly with twine, a little jewelled box sat in the centre place.

Opening the box Arnav found little knick knacks, not of any value but priceless. A single payal, a small silver mirror, a piece of a beaded duputa of faded orange, a long lock of hair tied in a thin red ribbon, now he understood why the red ribbon in Khushi hair had attracted him so much. Arnav instantly knew that the things belonged to Khushali, and Arnavya had horded them, symbols of his love. He found a bunch of papers bound in leather and twine. On inspecting them he found them to be love notes from Khushali to Arnavya. Nothing elaborated but simply written notes to meet at the groves, or the tank beside the temple, or the fair, notes professing love and longing. The thick but faded paper still carried a faint fragrance of jasmine and roses. And Arnav smiled this was exactly how Khushi smelled.

Arnav collected all these items and was about to leave the room when he spied something in the corner behind the huge cupboard, it was a painters easel, covered with a white linen. A small table at the side of it littered with pots of dried up paint, a large jar full of brushes of different sizes now covered is dust and weaved together by cobwebs, a testimony that Arnavya had a artistic streak, a lover by nature who read poetry and painted. An artistic man, who utilised his time between his obligations for his family and love for a women. This room stood as testimony against time to the story of Arnavya and Khushali.

Arnav pulled the cloth away to reveal the face of a women who had been a constant in his nightmare and dreams. It was a bold painting of Khushali, she had abandoned her duppata and lay across the bed her gold trim lehenga of green and choli of yellow. The lehenga road up over one leg exposing the smooth texture of her skin, her midriff bare and shapely, Khushali's hair was spread over the pillow a seductive smile on her lips, and a come heather look in her eyes. A vision flashed before his eyes, Khushali laying on the bed smiling seductively, "are you done yet." She asked. He smiled "not yet, this is your forth sitting. I will need many more" Arnavya said, smiling cheekily. "You need me to pose for the painting." she ran a hand suggestively from the cleavage to her belly button to the base of her tummy, "Or for something else." Arnavya swallowed hard, dropped the brush he was holding and went to her, he grasped her hand and brought it to his bare chest, her hand immediately caressing him. "I need you for everything." He kissed the base of her tummy moving upwards leaving a trail of soft kisses all the way to her chin, hovering over her lips, "I need you to breath." He brushed his lips over hers, "I need you live." Again his lips met her, "I need you to exist." His lips met hers in a hungry kiss deepening as they clung to each other.

Arnav knew instinctively that this painting was made by Arnavya. He guessed that it was the last one he had painted and had not had the time to complete it. Because death had come calling in the form of Shayamraj, his very own brother.

"Oh! Man." The soft exclamation by Rohit who had come up behind him, along with Daksh into the room drew Arnav out of his revive. He covered the painting and picked it of the easel and placed it in Daksh's arms. He picked up the jewellery box and the bunch of letters and walked out of the room instructing Daksh to bring painting.

As Arnav came into view, Shayam started screaming profanities, "I will kill you." His blood shot eyes borer into Arnav. Frothing at the mouth like a rabied dog, "I am going to kill you, little brother. I am going to kill you again, but this time I'm going to rip your heart out in front of your chavi, and crush it under my feat. So that she will know she can never have it. and then I'm going to tear into her over and over again till she screams my name to the clouds" and then he laughed live a maniac. Growling and snarling and laughing like a loon.

"Get him out of here, take him to his room and keep him there." Arnav said through gritted teeth his hand balled into fists his eyes blazing with rage. Shayam started twisting and trashing despite his bondage, he spit and tried to bite anyone who got close enough. "Drag him out by his legs if you have to." It took five of them to drag Shayam out and carry him down the stairs to his room. Once they had him tired securely to a chair they relaxed.

They had been shocked to see Shayam once they had the time to take a good look at him. He seemed to be aging in front of their eyes, his face was drawn, cheeks hollow with dark circles under his eyes, his skin pasty white and wrinkled. His lips gray, and his eyes too large, for his hollowed out eye sockets.

"God he looks like the living dead, straight out of a horror movie." Daksh said stunned at the sight of Shayam.

"I think we should keep the girls away from him for now. This is too horrifying for them to see." Vishal said, Akaash and Rohit agreed. They decided to take turns guarding Shayam. Parag and Vishal took the first round. While the rest went to find a first aid kit.